


...The Start of Something Real.

by anonymousEDward



Series: Something Real [3]
Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Begging, Desk Sex, Exhibitionism, Exhibitionism as a Revenge Tactic, Fingering, Laserblast's descent into Professor Venomous, M/M, Minor Character Death, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Throne Sex, not as dark as it sounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-10 04:07:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21471103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousEDward/pseuds/anonymousEDward
Summary: Laserblast's relationship with Boxman intensifies even as his relationship with POINT deteriorates. Things can't stay this way forever - eventually something has to give.
Relationships: Laserblast/Lord Boxman, Lord Boxman/Professor Venomous
Series: Something Real [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1595662
Comments: 42
Kudos: 174





	...The Start of Something Real.

**Author's Note:**

> I probably could have reviewed this a bit more, but... I'm just gonna put this out there. It's a bit different from my previous fics.

"How was she?" Laserblast smiled at his lab rat, currently gnawing on a carrot.

"Buh…" Rippy Roo held out her arms, which were covered in bite marks and scratches. "Buh buh buh buh buh buh buh."

"To be fair, she doesn't really like anyone. Isn't that right you widdle twouble-maker?" She dropped her carrot, running around in circles and chittering.

Rippy cleared her throat loudly.

"Well, thank you for watching her," Laserblast said, realizing he'd gotten a little distracted. His smile felt odd on his face. Only two days at Boxmore and it was already harder to fake a smile for POINT. "Hopefully she wasn't too much trouble."

"Buh… Buh-buh? Buh buh buh buh buh buh…" She pointed at the bandage over his collarbone.

"Oh, this?" _Come on, think Laser!_ "I got in a fight on the way to my friend's place. No big deal."

"Buh, buh-buh."

"Yup, see you around, Rippy." He scooted her out the door to his lab, shutting it behind her.

He collapsed into his chair. "Another day back at POINT," he muttered. Even stepping inside the building felt claustrophobic.

_Fink fink fink…_

"Stop chewing your cage," Laserblast said, well familiar with that sound by now. He looked back at his lab rat to see her giving him an impressive stink-eye, still chomping on the metal bars.

"What, did you want more Gamer Juice?" Her little tail twitched. Laserblast tried not to assign sentience to test subjects, but he could swear she knew what he said sometimes.

"Well, okay." He chuckled to himself, grabbing the energy drink in question from his mini-fridge. He should _probably_ not give into her so much – her fur was growing in green thanks to drinking it so often – but she loved the stuff. He tipped some into her water bottle, laughing when she scampered over immediately to start drinking.

"You know, as your boss, I'm going to have to ask you to stop biting my teammates." He slipped his pinkie between the bars of the cage to pet her flank. She side-eyed him hard, but allowed the contact in favor of her noxious green drink.

"If you don't, no one will look after you while I'm gone and trust me, you won't like that."

"Wait, you're already leaving again?"

Laserblast jerked his hand back, startled. "Uh, hey Sparks. How are you doing?" He flashed his hero-smile.

Sparks was out of uniform, but looked no less heroic for it. Laserblast envied her that. She also didn't appear fooled or distracted in the slightest, which did not bode well.

"Where the heck are you going, Laser? I covered for you with Foxtail, saying you were visiting friends who'd moved away, but she won't keep buying it for long."

"Wha- Why not? I'm popular! I can have friends!"

"Friends you've never visited before?"

Cob damn it. Life had been much easier when she was still a star struck newbie.

"Come on, Laser. We're your friends, you know. You can talk to us!" She perched on the edge of his work table. "I know that things didn't work out between us, but I still care about you. Just, you know, not like that."

Thank Cob for that, at least.

"I… sort of. Started seeing someone." Laserblast reached into the cage to pet the rat, half to have an excuse not to look Sparks in the eye and half to calm the damn thing who was quietly hissing at Silverspark.

"…Really?" _Okay, was that level of skepticism really necessary?_

"Really."

She beamed, tackling him in a hug. "Aw, Laser! That's great!"

He held himself stiffly, feeling awkward. "It is?"

"Of course! I'm glad you're finally getting over that Boxman guy. This is just what you need."

_Oh. Right. _

_Fuck. _

"Yeah, it's… I'm having a really good time," he said, choosing his words as carefully as his expression. "It's still really new, so I'm… kind of keeping things close to the chest, you know? In case it… doesn't work out. You understand."

"Of course!" She winked. "We'll just keep it between you and me, Laser!"

_What have I done now…?_

Laserblast tried to look attentive as the mayor of Neo Riot City droned on, sandwiched between Foxtail and Doctor Greyman. Supposedly, they were getting some sort of award. Medal of Valor maybe? Superhero Team of the Month? Cob, who cared?

Well, Laserblast supposed _he_ had cared at one point. Early on, when he was the youngest member on a team of three, certain that any day now he'd feel like a real hero – that if he won enough awards and signed enough autographs and saved the damned day enough that he'd finally feel _good_ enough. That he'd get the same sense of satisfaction his teammates talked about after defeating evil, rather than the bitter come-down of an adrenaline high.

It had been years and he was so Cob damn tired of waiting.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Laserblast hesitated, subtly scanning his surroundings. Foxtail was sitting ramrod straight in her seat. Greyman was stifling a yawn. He decided to risk it. He slid his phone out of his pocket.

_2 new messages from_ LBM<3

He opened the conversation window eagerly.

_'Hey Laser-baby! Look up.'_

_'3 o' clock'_

Laserblast looked to his right, spotting one of the security cameras. It panned up and down, almost like it was nodding.

_'That u?'_ He typed, smiling already.

_'Maaaaaaaybe? ;^)'_

He looked back up at the camera, feeling... mischievous. He held up his fingers in a peace sign, then flicked his tongue between them.

He didn't get an immediate reply, but a minute later he did receive a text from Mr. Logic - or Mr. L as he was in his phone.

_'Lord Boxman has become very red and is unwilling to make eye contact. Please explain the gesture.'_

Oops.

_'It's a long story. Don't repeat it, okay?'_

_'Affirmative.'_

He swapped over to his conversation with Boxman.

_'Sorry'_

_'Oh you'll be making it up to me later'_

Laserblast smiled.

_'Looking forw-'_

"Ow!" He rubbed at his side. "Greyman, what gives?"

"Quit making that face," Greyman hissed.

"What face?"

"That evil look!"

"Evil look?! I was just smiling!"

"Cut it out, both of you!" Foxtail growled. "Shut up and smile." She shot Laserblast a meaningful look. "_Properly._"

Laserblast allowed himself a scowl, but only for a split second before he plastered on his hero-smile.

Not a moment too soon, either. Spotlights illuminated overhead, which would have blinded him, had it not been for his helmet. He was familiar with this part, too. Guiding his teammates by the elbows in a show of "unity" while they were too blinded to see for themselves. Sometimes he imagined letting go, leaving them to fumble on their own.

He revisited that fantasy far more than he probably should.

They found their way to center stage well enough, though, shaking his hands off as soon as they could.

Foxtail, their de facto leader, was the one to accept the trophy, though they all posed for pictures.

The photographer blushed and smiled any time Laserblast so much as looked in her direction. Maybe at one point, he would have amped things up, even flirted a little, but now all he could think about was how it only made the photo op drag on longer.

Laserblast did his heroic duty - he smiled, he signed autographs, he let his seniors do the talking.

He was calm, he was charming, he was happy.

Inside, he was seething.

"I do not believe Ernesto to be well-suited to combat," Mr. Logic said.

Lord Boxman laughed. "Don't be ridiculous! Of course he is! He's practically a wrecking ball! Well, he will be in his full-sized form..."

"Apologies, Lord Boxman," Logic said. "I have been unclear."

Boxman threw himself back into his desk chair, waving him on to continue.

"Ernesto's disposition is better suited to a non-combat role."

"Don't say that!" Boxman cried. "You haven't even given him a chance! He could be-"

Logic held up a hand. "Allow me to demonstrate."

He activated a video file on his data pad before handing it over.

"Hahaha! Die!" a small, robotic figure screeched. Boxman chuckled as little Shannon knocked over a tower of blocks.

"Noooo! My bank!" Little Ernesto burst into oily tears, running to the camera. "Big brother, make her stoooop!"

"Well, everyone has their bad days, right?" Boxman grinned nervously, tapping on the arm of his chair.

Mr. Logic pulled up another video, without a word.

"Aha! Witness my power!" Little Darrell yelled, his voice barely more than a squeak. He kicked a cardboard cutout of Foxtail so hard that he knocked a hole in, got his foot stuck, and fell.

"Atta boy, Darrell!" Boxman cheered. _Already trying so hard...!_

"Big Brother!" _Oh right, this was about Ernesto..._ "Darrell has been injured! What should we _do?_ What are our _safety protocols?!_ Oh the inhumanity!" Ernesto collapsed to his knees, clutching his hat.

"Well... I supposed that's a bit worrisome..." Boxman admitted.

Mr. Logic pulled up another video where the cat bot, Mikayla, chased Ernesto around the room. And another, where Ernesto was attempting to direct foot traffic out of Jethro's path. Video after video after video of Ernesto being frightened or crying or both.

"Okay, you've made your point." Lord Boxman sighed. "What do you suggest, Mr. Logic? Some reprogramming? Rewiring? I... I would like to avoid decommissioning his model, if at all possible." It felt like a very un-villainous thing to admit, but this was his friend. He could keep a secret.

"I do not believe we will have to."

"Wh- really?" He climbed onto his desk, clutching Mr. Logic's hands. "Well, what should we do?"

"I would like to take Ernesto under my wing, to teach him about the day-to-day running of Boxmore. Rather than functioning as a subpar combat robot, he can be taught to be an optimal business bot!"

Boxman gasped, then pulled Mr. Logic into a hug. "You're a genius! After all, I can't be the only villain running a business!"

"We could even cause our competition to rely on our Ernesto bots," Mr. Logic said, "putting us in a very comfortable bargaining position."

"I am _liking_ this idea!" Boxman crowed. Then a thought struck him. "You won't feel... replaced, or anything like that, right?"

"Of course not. It will be nice to have a younger sibling to assist in my own tasks." Mr. Logic smiled down at the data pad, which was currently displaying Ernesto cheerfully working on his math homework.

"And... you won't separate him too much from the others, right?"

"I should be able to keep them together."

"Oh Mr. Logic! This is all so exciting!"

Stepping through the doors to Boxmore was a relief.

He hadn't realized how much time he spent pretending to be happy until he'd experienced freedom in Boxman's lair and then been forced to give it up.

"Greetings, Laserblast!" Mr. Logic seemed to have something of a spring in his step, as well as what appeared to be ink stains on the hem of his loose-fitting clothes.

"Please allow me to escort you to the dining area."

"Uh, sure. Where's Boxy?"

Mr. Logic looked at his feet. "He locked himself in his office several hours ago, vowing to finish his paperwork before you arrived. I have not yet informed him of your presence."

"Let me guess..." Laserblast smirked. "You were hoping to keep me being here a secret until he finished, right?"

"Affirmative." Logic had the grace to look ashamed. "It is difficult to convince him to do paperwork. He wished for your visit to be free from distractions." Mr. Logic winked meaningfully.

Laserblast grinned. _It's just sex,_ he reminded himself, trying to quash the butterflies in his stomach. _It's only sex for him._

"How about we surprise him? You know, reward him for his hard work?"

"What reward would be appropriate for such an occasion? I… I find I do not wish for him to be disappointed in me." Laserblast wasn't sure how Logic managed such a hangdog expression with his limited facial movement, but he did.

"Well… why don't we make him dinner?" Laserblast offered. An idea struck him and he grinned. "In fact, I'll bring it up to his office… He'll be so pleased, he won't even think about you not telling him."

"You would do that?" Mr. Logic's eyes seemed to shine.

"Absolutely," Laserblast said.

_I am going to abuse the hell out of that desk of his…_

"What does he like to eat?" Laserblast asked, trailing Logic to the kitchen proper.

"Lord Boxman is not a particularly choosy eater," Mr. Logic said, "But he does have a particular fondness for quick, unhealthy meals. 'Fast food' I believe is the term."

"So… tacos, burgers…"

"He also enjoys Italian food…?"

"Er, Italian might be out of my range of expertise…"

"Burgers, then?"

"Burgers it is!"

"Delivery for Boxman?"

Boxman nearly ripped his last form in half. Cob dang it! Why would Logic send a delivery to his office door? He was trying to finish the paperwork early for once, so he could spend time with-

_Wait._

He scrambled out from behind his desk, nearly ripping the door off its hinges in his rush to get it open.

"Laserblast! You're here!" _Wait, no Boxy. Play it cool._ "Eheh, I- I hadn't realized you were already here. I just got caught up in- burgers?"

Laserblast smirked, cocking his hip.

"Mr. Logic told me you were _hard_ at work," he said, his voice low and velveteen. "So I decided to... bring you a little something to _sate your appetite_."

Boxman's stomach gurgled. "Well I am pretty hungry," he admitted.

Laserblast stared at him for a moment before laughing. "Alright, that's fair."

Boxman shoved the mound of completed paperwork aside. "I've just got one left," he said, feeling oddly shy. "Er, you can go ahead and sit down if you- oh, wait..."

He hauled his throne over to the desk, feeling slightly smug at the way Laserblast's eyes widened.

"Stronger than you look," Laserblast said, setting the burgers between them before sinking into the plush seat like he belonged there.

Laserblast rested his chin on his fist and crossed one leg over the other as he stared down at Boxman, a smirk still playing on his lips. He looked powerful. Dangerous. Like tyrant who had taken the throne by force.

It was, Boxman realized, a very good look on him.

"Well, Boxy?" Laserblast said, gesturing at the burger closest to him. "Dig in."

Boxman pounced on the burger with relief. He was pretty sure he had missed lunch. He took a bite and sighed happily.

"It's delicious!" He said. "It tastes just like how Mr. Logic makes them."

"He... may have helped," Laserblast said. His smile took on that sort of… plastic-y sheen that Boxman recognized from his various media appearances.

Boxman squinted. "I'm not saying you're a liar, but you're definitely being less than honest."

Laserblast shrugged, leaning back in his seat.

"Does that bother you?"

"Not really. But still more than I thought it would."

Laserblast actually looked surprised at that, though Boxman wasn't sure why.

"Don't laugh," the hero warned.

"I would never!"

Laserblast sagged in his chair. "I burnt the first two burgers," he admitted. "Mr. Logic asked me to stop. Told me to please slice the tomatoes instead."

"Pfffft! Hahaha!"

"Box!"

"I'm a villain, I'm _supposed_ to lie! Hehehe...hoo... Sorrey." Boxman scratched at his cheek, flicking away a bit of lettuce he found.

"I suppose I'll forgive you," Laserblast said, a crooked little grin on his face. It was one of Boxman's favorite expressions - his eyes looked darker, his teeth a little sharper. It made Boxman feel sort of warm and gooey. He tried not to think about it too much.

Boxman tore into his burger once again. "Still really good though," he mumbled around his mouthful. He noticed Laserblast watching his mouth with strange intensity and self-consciously wiped at it with his napkin.

"Uh... aren't you going to eat yours?" He grinned nervously. Laserblast licked his lips.

"Mm… what was that, Boxy?"

Boxman could have sworn he'd just blushed, but that was ridiculous.

He nudged Laser's plate forward.

"Oh, right!"

Boxman ended up finishing his meal first, using the time to scribble out his signature on the last form and toss it in with the others.

"Finally!" He stretched his fingers.

"This calls for a celebration," Laserblast said. He popped the last bit of his burger in his mouth, then licked his fingers. "Whatever shall we do?"

He had a hungry sort of look on his face, which told Boxman that Laserblast already had some ideas in mind.

"I'm open to suggestions," he said, pleased with how smooth the words came out.

Laserblast's grin broadened. He unzipped his pants, drawing out his cock, already half-hard and getting harder by the second. "Take your pants off, Boxy."

Boxman felt slick start to leak from his sheath in an almost Pavlovian response. He felt clumsy as he stripped off his lab coat, unclipped his suspenders, and finally shoved his pants down his hips, belatedly remembering to take off his shoes as well.

"Underwear too, Boxy." He was stroking his cock lazily, still resting his cheek on his fist, even as he looked Boxman up and down in a way that sent heat to his face and crotch.

Boxman found himself scrambling to obey. He felt vulnerable, down to his shirt and nothing else.

"Come here." Laserblast released his cock to crook a beckoning finger at him.

Boxman found himself obeying once more, clambering up onto Laserblast's lap. Like magnets, those big hands went straight to his ass, gripping and squeezing. He yelped when Laser leaned back suddenly, feeling that long cock drag against his slit as he fell forward into the hero's muscular, regrettably-clothed chest.

"You haven't even kissed me hello yet," Laserblast said. His wicked grin was devastating up close.

Boxman yelped as he was lifted before being set down on Laserblast's chiseled abs. He threw his arms around Laser's neck before he could slide back down. Boxman could feel the length of his cock rubbing against the cleft of his ass and shivered. He could feel the first drops of slick escaping him and tightened his grip.

"I… didn't want to presume," he mumbled, too flustered to be anything but honest.

"Presume away, Box," Laserblast said.

Boxman kissed him – soft at first, but it wasn't long until he caved to that dexterous tongue, moaning as it slid into his mouth to tangle with his own. He felt one hand let go of his ass and clung tighter to the hero, afraid to lose his grip – only to whimper when he felt those fingers rubbing at the base of his slit, releasing a veritable gush of lube.

Laserblast broke the kiss, and Boxman wasn't quite fast enough to stifle a sound of disappointment.

"Mm… _missed_ me, huh? Don't worry, Boxy, I'm here now…"

He felt slick fingers rubbing between his buttocks all the way up to the base of his tail, coating them with his own fluids.

"I- I don't want-" Boxman stuttered as the fingers traveled back down to the base of his slit. "I'm not ready for-"

"Easy, Boxy," Laserblast pressed a quick kiss to the side of his face. "I know. Nothing's going inside you, okay?"

"O-okay…" He could feel the length of it rubbing between his cheeks, the head nudging at his tail feathers.

"Hold tight, Boxy," he murmured against his cybernetic ear.

Boxman opened his mouth – planning to ask something along the lines of 'hold onto what?' when he felt Laserblast grip his buttocks and squeeze them around his cock. "Just like this…"

He could feel his face heat up, but driven by his own curiosity, he obeyed. He felt awkward, with his legs spread to accommodate Laserblast's waist and his ass clenched together.

He felt Laserblast's arms wrap around his waist and squeeze, before lifting him a few inches. He shivered, feeling the head sliding down to the base of his slit, then back up as he was lowered.

Considering the last time he was here Laserblast had actually been inside him, it felt surprisingly dirty. Intriguingly so, in fact. He leaned forward so he could get more friction against his slit, hitching his hips up and down.  
"You like that, Boxy?" He could feel the words rumbling through Laserblast's chest and tucked his face between those bulging pecs, rubbing against that cock until his slit was absolutely dripping. He could feel his own cock hardening in its sheath, already starting to descend. Laserblast's grip migrated to his hips, helping to ease the strain on his legs, as he carefully raised and lowered himself.

The head of his own cock breached his sheath slowly. The stretch was enough to make his knees go weak and collapse. He could feel Laserblast's cock, still hard and twitching against his backside.

Laserblast arched up, his clothed abs rubbing against the head of Boxman's cock. "Mm, coming out to play?"

Boxman tried to give him a dirty look, but he was pretty sure it only came out as flustered.

"Too tired?" Laserblast teased, palms ghosting over his ass once more. "I do have other ideas…"

Boxman hesitated. On the one hand, he was a little tired – he wasn't on par with Laserblast's level of fitness. But… it had felt good. And deliciously dirty.

"What other ideas?" he asked.

"Well, I can't help but notice that _big, sturdy_ desk of yours… Perhaps we could make use of it…"

Laserblast moaned as the head of that thick cock finally slid inside him. Cob, Boxy liked taking his damn time.

"Fuck yes… Come on, Boxy, _move_ damn it!"

He felt the pinprick of talons on his side as his stomach was pressed into the heavy wood of the desk. He waited for movement, for Boxman to slam home and fuck him hard and fast like he'd been fantasizing about since… well, since about five minutes after the last time Boxy fucked him.

The silence stretched out longer.

"Mm… I think not."

What?

"What?"

"I seem to recall you asking me to beg," Boxman said, voice silky smooth. "I think that, well, it's only fair for you to do the same." Those sharp talons flexed against the sensitive flesh of his side and Laserblast's cock _throbbed._

"And what-" His voice was shaking, and he swallowed before trying again. "What would you like me to say?"

"I'm not one for please and thank you, so how about… 'Fuck me, Lord Boxman' hm? Nice and simple."

_Oh Cob, he's a quick learner. _

"And what do I get out of this?" Laserblast asked, deliberately clenching down around the cock in his ass.

Boxman's hips didn't so much as twitch. Laser envied his control.

"Ask nicely, and maybe I'll even let you come."

_Oh fuck, I'm already half way there. _

"You're only punishing yourself," Laserblast bluffed. "You wouldn't really-"

He felt a warm, flesh hand wrap around his cock, tight enough that it verged on pain.

_Okay, he's serious. And I'm never going to be able to look at varnished wood without getting a boner ever again. _

"Do your worst, Boxy."

Boxman slammed into him, nearly shoving him into the desk from the force before setting a harsh pace. The head of his cock scraped over his prostate with every thrust, but with the hand wrapped so tightly around his own length, orgasm still felt just out of reach.

Laserblast shoved his hips back, trying to take Boxman's cock deeper. A shameful little whine escaped him when the hand on his cock followed.

"Fuck..."

"One quarter there, Laser-baby..." He could practically hear the shit-eating grin in his voice.

Cob, Boxy was like a machine - relentless, his thrusts never losing speed, his rhythm never faltering. He felt Boxman's talons leave his hip, only for them to tangle in his hair and pull until his back arched and his toes curled in his boots.

"Say it," Boxman growled in his ear, voice promising something dark and violent.

Laserblast's cock throbbed. He was pretty sure pre-come was dripping down Boxy's hand by now.

"F-fuck me... Lord Boxman." The words came out unsteady, but surprisingly clear.

The hand on his dick loosened, just slightly.

"Again."

"Fuck me, Lord Boxman."

Boxy slid home once more, his thick cock rubbing his prostate. But still, he wouldn't let go of his cock. Laserblast groaned. Why the fuck wasn't he letting go?

"If you come without me, Laserblast... I'm not going to stop." From Boxman's tone, he couldn't tell if that was a warning or a threat. "I'm going to keep fucking you until I'm _satisfied._ Do you understand?"

"Hnnn..."

"Say 'I understand, Lord Boxman.'"

"Mhmm..."

The hand around his cock tightened once more.

_Right. Fuck, I'm learning so much about myself today..._

"I understand, Lord Boxman."

The hand around his cock finally let go, migrating to his hip where his fingernails dug in like claws. The hand in his hair tightened as Boxman slowly pulled out, only to slam back in hard enough to have him seeing stars.

"Good boy," Boxman said.

Laserblast dug his nails into far side of the desk to brace himself as Boxman resumed his former brutal pace.

_This,_ he realized belatedly, _will not last long._

He was only half right.

He came with a yell only a few thrusts later, clawing at the desk and knocking over a (thankfully empty) mug.

True to his word, Boxman didn't stop, just fucked him through it. He did at least slow when Laser had spent himself completely.

"Oh Cob, Boxy," he moaned as that fat cock worked in and out of his ass. "Oh fuck..."

"Do you want me to stop?" There was an undertone of concern that Laserblast found surprisingly reassuring.

"Oh, I know!" Boxman added, sounding much more confident. "Say... 'Please stop, Lord Boxman,' and I will." Ah, _there_ was his mischievous villain. Laserblast found himself relaxing against his will.

"Fuck no," he fired back, tossing a little heroic defiance into his tone.

"Suit yourself, _Laserblast_," Boxy said. The little emphasis on his hero name told him it hadn't gone unnoticed.

He huffed a little laugh before Boxman pulled his hair hard enough to make his nerves sing as he resumed his fast pace.

At some point he passed through the barrier of being over-sensitized to the other side as pleasure began to build in his overtaxed nerve endings. He couldn't stop the embarrassing noises escaping his throat.

Boxman's thrusts began to grow ragged at last. Laserblast could hear the squeaking of the desk chair as Boxman's movements slowly became more erratic.

He debated touching himself but ultimately decided against it. Even through the fog of arousal, he was intensely curious about what Boxman would do.

"C-close, Boxy," he moaned.

"Already? Greedy, aren't you?" He could hear the wicked delight in Boxman's tone. He wasn't sure if Boxman planned to finish without him or-

He felt sharp teeth bite down hard at the base of his neck, right over the knob of his spine, and suddenly catching up wasn't an issue anymore.

He saw white as he came once more, only distantly recognizing Boxman's own cry as he came with him.

He only vaguely remembered Boxman hurriedly wiping down both of them along with his desk, and surprisingly gentle hands guiding his jeans and boxers back up his hips. The memory of being half-led, half-carried to the bedroom was clearer. Mostly, he remembered long, slow kisses, curled up in Boxman's bed. Careful fingers combing through his hair and the sting of antiseptic on the back of his neck to the backdrop of apologetic murmurs.

"Maybe you shouldn't let your paperwork pile up so much in the future," Laserblast teased, some indeterminate amount of time later. He was just a little too warm, and sorely tempted to strip down to his underwear, but that would mean letting go of Boxman which was, of course, unacceptable.

"You think _that's _a lot of paperwork?" Boxman grinned. "That's just from last _week_. With the bots-" He cut himself off before trying again, more cautiously. "With my current projects, there's a lot of… stuff. That I need to do. For a while, I mean. It should lighten up eventually though! Especially once- Er. Once things slow down."

"Oh." Laserblast tried to keep his tone neutral. It was perfectly sensible for Boxman to keep his work life separate from their sex life, after all. Smart.

"I…" Boxman swallowed, looking like he'd bitten into something sour. "I would tell you, but… you might feel obligated to, eheh… interfere."

"That's sensible," Laserblast said. "But, well… I'm off the clock. And it's not like I could tell anyone without admitting I was here, right?"

"You… you'd keep it secret?" Boxman lit up for just a moment before his expression visibly crumbled into something insecure.

Laserblast weighed his options.

The choice was surprisingly easy.

"I swear, I'll keep it a secret."

"Babies! Daddy's here!" Boxman cooed, bursting into the playroom.

"Daddy, huh?" he heard Laserblast say. "Wait, babies?"

And then he was swarmed.

"Daddy!" "Mikayla!" "I am Jethro!"

Mr. Logic scurried over. "Lord Boxman, I am… I do not believe this is the best idea."

"Did he say babies?"

Right. Laserblast.

"Daddy! An intruder!" Of course Darrell was the first to notice. He leveled his little proto-blaster and Laser, but Boxman easily batted it aside – not that it did much more than smoke, anyway. He knew better than to give them real weapons while their neural nets were still forming.

"Oh, calm down, Darrell!" He shooed them off of him and got to his feet, brushing off his clothing. He had _just_ put on a new outfit, after all!

The bots neatly lined up, even Mikayla. Cob, he was so proud of them it hurt.

"So, uh… who are these guys? I didn't know you had kids." His face was blank, meaning he was hiding something. Fear? Anger?

…Jealousy?

No, that would be ridiculous.

"Well, they're not… you know, kids in the traditional sense. Designed and programmed by yours truly, with input from Mr. Logic."

"I mentioned feeling… lonely, sometimes," Mr. Logic said. "I asked about the possibility of siblings. Lord Boxman was kind enough to accommodate my request." Mr. Logic steamed a moment. "Er, and I'm sure they will be very profitable… eventually."

"You're… you're not actually going to, like… sell them, right?"

"Not like this," Boxman assured him. "But! Once their hive minds are fully formed, I can sell millions of their lesser shells, all while keeping my actual children here, with me! And, with the knowledge gained by their lesser shells, they'll continue to grow and develop, just like any human would!" He scooped up Shannon and Darrell, swinging them around as the bots laughed. "They'll have their own thoughts and feelings, but as long as my factory keeps going, they'll be functionally immortal, able to reboot in a new body as easily as you or I change clothes."

He realized he was full-on monologuing at this point, setting the bots down with a sheepish laugh.

"Aha… ha… But! That's years off! For now, Mr. Logic is helping them grow up to be the best bots they can be, right Logic?"

"Affirmative."

Boxman beamed, only to feel a slight tugging at his pant leg.

"Father?"

"Oh! Um. Yes, Ernesto?"

"Who _is_ that man?"

_Ah. That… might be a problem._

"I'm-"

"That's daddy's friend, Laser!" he blurted. There were no cardboard cut-outs of Laserblast in the target practice room, but he was still a member of POINT and it would be best if he could keep that little _complication_ under wraps for as long as possible.

"R-right," Laserblast confirmed. "Daddy's… _friend_."

Did he _have_ to make it sound so suggestive? He shot the hero a dirty look. Laserblast winked.

Darrell was the first to react. He took one cautious step forward, then another. When Boxman didn't stop him, he trotted right up to the hero.

"Do you wanna see my cowboy costume?" Darrell asked, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Big brother Logic made it for me!"

"Sure thing, kid." Laserblast shot a smile at Boxman over his shoulder as Darrell led him further into the playroom. He had to hunch over a bit to keep a grip on Darrell's tiny hand – the bots were barely larger than human toddlers at this point – but his smile was warm, crooked as it was.

"So..." Boxman wrung his hands. "What- what did you think?"

Laserblast seemed to ponder it over, leaving his poor, villainous heart pitter-pattering from nerves.

"I'm curious about Darrell," he said, which... that was not exactly what Boxman had been expecting.

"Um. Oh? What about?"

"You called him a bot, but I could see his brain, Boxy." His eyes were dark, narrowed in contemplation... or perhaps calculation.

"Oh! I meant, you know, me being sort of a single parent to 6 at 21-24 years old, but. You- you actually care about the science?"

"You having kids doesn't bother me, Boxy." He offered a crooked little smile that made Boxman feel warm. "I'm more curious about the science. Where and how did you get a whole human brain?"

"Psh, that old thing? It's synthetic. I went with chips for the others. Too much of a hassle to program. Give me microchips over tissue generation any day!"

"But bioengineering is so much more fun! Viruses, bacteria, controlled mutations... there are so many possibilities!" Laserblast argued.

"So _you_ say," Boxman fired back, "but robotics are so much more reliable! I had to work with living subjects a few times at university and it was always such a _bother._"

"Hey, I got my degree in bioengineering you know, Boxy...!"

They carried on their debate through dinner and picked it up again after sex.

Laserblast hardly ever got to talk about his studies. He'd forgotten how good it felt to get technical - to expound on his experiments to someone who understood what the hell he was talking about and didn't get squeamish. Boxman had even asked questions, asked him to elaborate on his ideas.

It had been so damn thrilling!

It was like a floodgate had been opened. Synthetic tissue versus lab grown, artificial intelligence versus sentience... It all came down to electricity, Boxman had argued. What did it matter if those impulses traveled along wires or synapses?

And Laserblast had fallen a little bit more in love.

"Heading back to- to work?" Boxman asked the next morning. He was picking at his food, and his smile seemed to keep sliding down his face like wet paint.

"Yeah," Laserblast said. He could hear the gloom in his own voice and tried to shake it off by forcing a smile. "I know you're busy, so you'll probably enjoy having me out of your hair for a while."

"I..." Boxman's sad attempt at a smile finally gave up the ghost. "Not as much as I should," he said softly.

That was… probably as close to a confession as he was going to get from a villain like Lord Boxman.

Laserblast stumbled out of his chair – still clumsy as he always was in the morning – and reeled Boxman in for a kiss.

_I don't want to go either,_ he wanted to say.

"I'll come back soon," he said instead.

"Laserblast, what have you done to this poor creature?" Greyman frowned down at the rat in her cage. "It's changed colors!"

"What- what are you doing in my lab?!" Laserblast blurted, stuffing his duffle bag of dirty clothes under the desk.

"POINT's lab," Greyman corrected.

Laserblast grit his teeth.

"Fine." He took a steadying breath. "Why are you in POINT's lab?"

"Oh!" Greyman beamed, whirling around. His scarf knocked over the stack of scientific journals Laserblast had been planning to read. "I was just poking around to see if I could find any information on that mysterious paramour of yours."

"What?" He froze in the act of picking up the various journals scattered on the floor.

"Don't be coy!" Greyman winked. "Silverspark _may_ have accidentally let it slip that you were seeing someone new."

_Cob damn it, Sparks…_

"Why don't you talk to us anymore?" Greyman asked, his black eyes going soft and watery. "Just because things didn't work out with Silverspark-"

"Who I choose to see outside of my work is none of your business," Laserblast hissed. He forced a mild smile on his face. "Now if you excuse me, I need to get back to my research…" He bodily picked up his team mate and deposited him outside the door, closing it behind him with a snap.

He slumped into his chair with a sigh, ignoring the journals scattered around him. It seemed like too much bother to pick them up now. He laid his head down so his cheek was flush with the cool surface of the desk.

"Hey kiddo," he murmured to the rat.

She squeaked at him, abandoning her furious grooming to chew on the cage bars between them.

_Fink fink fink_

"Boss is back. Didja miss me?" He poked a finger through the cage to pet her flank, smiling when she didn't bite. She even let go of the metal and started bruxing.

"Yeah, you're cute and you know it," he murmured. "Think I'll call you Fink, since you make that sound often enough."

His thoughts were interrupted by a timid knock at the door. He debated pretending not to be home, but the decision was made for him when the door cracked open and Sparks poked her head in.

"Oh. Er. You're back!"

He slowly withdrew his finger from the cage, allowing only a faint frown to show on his face. "Yeah, Sparks. I'm back. With how fast word _travels_ here, I'm surprised you didn't find out sooner."

She winced, his veiled barb hitting true.

"I… Laserblast… I'm so sorrey…"

"Oh, sorrey? Well gee, Sparks, that makes everything better!"

"Foxtail was trying to find out where you were and I just- I panicked!"

Was it fair to be angry at Sparks, knowing it was an accident? Probably not. It didn't stop him from being absolutely furious, though.

"I don't want to be around you right now," he said. His words were clipped, but his tone was even. "Please leave."

"Laser, I-"

"Out!"

He waited until her footsteps had faded into silence before whipping out his phone.

_'Boxy, I really need to see you rn. Can we meet up?'_

_'Sure. Was just putting the babies 2 bed. Coming over? ;^)'_

_'Can't get away long. Donuts on 3rd and Mayday Ave?'_

_'Ha! You're buying!'_

_'Deal'_

"When you said you wanted to meet up, I'll admit… this was not what I was expecting."

Laserblast rubbed at his aching head, wincing at the goose egg he encountered.

"What was that, Boxy?" Laserblast had to blink several times before the villain came into focus.

"I said- Well, it doesn't matter. I was trying to be funny." Boxman looked similarly disheveled, kneeling on the stone floor next to him. His human eye was ringed with a nasty bruise. "I'm glad you're awake now. I was starting to get worried."

"You're squeezing my hand awful tight for someone just starting to get worried," Laserblast said. Boxman blushed and sputtered, but didn't let go.

"What happened?"

Boxman licked his lips. "I'm not too sure. I saw you. We kissed. Then just- pain. And I woke up here and you were- you wouldn't wake up." His grip on Laserblast's hand spasmed a moment.

"I'm okay," Laserblast said. "Er. Probably. I might be a little concussed."

"I don't- I don't like head wounds," Boxman muttered, reaching up, his fingers stopping just shy of his skull plate.

Laserblast squinted at him. "Do you want me to cover it up or something?"

"No! I just. Worried. A bit. That's all."

Laserblast raised their join hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to it. He could feel Boxman's talons twitch in surprise.

"Well aren't you cute?" a low, growling voice said from far overhead.

Laserblast startled, but kept his grip on Boxman even as he scanned his surroundings. There was a massive red button in the center of the floor, with an even larger steel box hanging above it, suspended by various pulleys. The voice appeared to be coming from a speaker built into the stone ceiling.

"Aw, poop," Boxman muttered.

"That's right, Lad Boxman. I, Chimerical Man, have captured you… along with your little _boy toy._"

"Grrr… It's _Lord_ Boxman, _Gerald_, and what in corn's name is the _meaning_ of this?! I'm a fellow villain, you dunce!"

"I'm so glad you asked," the voice rumbled. "I have trapped you and your little fling in a room with one exit. The button in front of you-" two spotlights anchored to the ceiling helpfully beamed down on it- "is your only way out. One of you must press and hold the button to allow the other to escape."

Okay, that was easy. Hold down the button, allow Boxy to escape and come back to bust him out. Did he really think they would have that little trust-?

"_But_ – and this is the fun part – as you hold the button down, the weight above you will _plummet_-" the lights panned up to illuminate the large steel block more clearly- "crushing you to death."

_Well, shit. _

Boxman growled under his breath, obviously thinking much the same thing.

Laserblast eyed the barred wall of the cell. They weren't spread wide enough for either of them to squeeze through (which was a laughably common mistake villains made), but Laserblast imagined he could at least squeeze his arm through. He could try to sabotage the lock…

"And don't think you can escape through the bars either!" Chimerical Man said. He _had_ to be watching them from somewhere, Laser was sure. "My hydra is patrolling the area and if even one finger slips between the bars, he will snap it off with his mighty jaws!"

"Then what's Cob damn point of opening the door at all?" Laserblast asked, rather reasonably in his opinion.

"Um." He heard the distant sound of rustling papers. "Well. Obviously it- Er, I have to go!" The speaker clicked off.

Laserblast looked at Boxman, an eyebrow raised. "Well, that's… interesting. How do you know this guy, again?"

Boxman blushed. "Well… you know how you asked me about my previous partners? Eheh… He's one of them."

"So… this isn't about me. This is just-"

"An ex-boyfriend crawling out of the woodwork to humiliate me? Yes, that does seem to be the case."

"Humiliate you?" Laserblast chuckled darkly. "Oh no, Boxy. I'm pretty sure this is just run-of-the-mill jealousy. I mean, his whole plan is to kill me to get you all to himself."

"I'm pretty sure there are some holes in your logic, there…"

"But what _he _doesn't know," Laserblast said, reeling Boxman in close to whisper in his ear, "Is that sooner or later, POINT is going to come looking for me. All we have to do is wait it out."

"Oh goody," Boxman muttered, catching on and keeping his voice low. "Getting rescued by POINT… every villain's dream…"

"I know, but I'm sure you'll manage to slip away before they catch you. You're clever like that, especially if I distract them."

"Sneaky," Boxman said approvingly.

Laserblast grinned. "Now," he purred, voice slightly louder, "Since we're trapped here for the foreseeable future… what _ever _shall we do to entertain ourselves?"

"Well I didn't exactly bring any playing cards," Boxman snarked. "And he took both of our phones, wallets, etc. We have no tools, no tricks, and nothing to do."

"Oh, I can think of something…" Laserblast allowed his smile to widen. Boxman apparently recognized the look.

"Now?!" he hissed. "We're captured, here!"

Laserblast crawled towards him on all fours, crowding him against one of the concrete walls of the cell. "You said it yourself, Boxy. We have nothing else to do…" He nuzzled Boxman's green hair and lowered his voice. "Come on, Box. It'll be hours before POINT gets here. Let me make you feel good…"

Boxman's breath hitched, then gasped when Laser kissed the edge of his jaw.

"I- oh Cob. I want to but- Ah! But I th-think he's watching…"

"Let him watch," Laserblast muttered darkly. "He'll see who you belong to…" He was a little surprised at the venom in his own voice, but… if this was one of Boxy's exes… One of the ones who had used him without any care for Boxman's own pleasure or even consent…

"Possessive much?" Boxman managed. His cheeks were already flushed.

"You have _no_ idea…"

"That's… That should _not_ be a turn on," Boxman mumbled as if to himself. Laserblast could almost see his resolve weakening and began to kiss his way down the column of Boxman's neck.

"Oh! That's-" Boxman cut himself off with a whimper as Laserblast sucked a bruise into his neck, worrying at the skin with his teeth until he was sure it would be nice and dark.

"You're _mine_, Boxy," he growled. He felt talons tangle in his hair as Boxman pulled his head back to look him in the eyes. It stung worse than usual, with his injured head, but Boxman seemed to be sizing him up.

"This is a very bad idea," Boxman said. "I just… want to make sure you understand."

"Of course it is. But _Cob_ I want it."

Boxman sucked in a breath, then let it out in a long, shaky exhale. "Clothes stay on. I'm _not_ getting caught with my pants down."

Laserblast smirked. "I can work with that." He nibbled Boxman's jawline, leaving another hickey below his cybernetic ear as he worked open Boxy's fly.

"Really? Is that really necess- Oh!"

Laserblast smirked in response to Boxman's gasp, carding his fingers through the feathers around his sheath once more.

"How's that feel?" Laserblast asked, rubbing two fingers over his slit.

"Hah… good…" Boxman let go of his hair in favor of clutching at his shirt and tugging him closer. Laserblast took advantage of the opening to lick his way inside Boxman's mouth, eager to feel him moaning against his lips. He slid one finger inside Boxman's sheath smiling as lubricant began to drip down his finger. He slid a second inside when they parted for breath, smirking at Boxman's startled moan.

"Mm, come on Boxy… I know you can be louder than that…"

Boxman tried to glare at him, only to whimper when Laserblast spread his fingers. Laser rolled his hips up, grinding his own hard cock against Boxman's thigh, even as he probed at his sheath, searching for-

"Oh, there you are…" He purred, rubbing at the head of Boxman's cock as it started to slide free.

There was a moment of feedback before the speakers crackled to life. "What the hell are you doing?" Chimerical Man snarled.

"Ignore him, Boxy," Laserblast said, seeing Boxman's mismatched eyes go wide with something like panic. "Eyes on me."

Boxman pulled him closer and buried his face in Laser's chest. "Don't let him see me," he said softly. "I don't- he made. Comments about my. My setup. I don't-"

"Do you want me to stop?" Laserblast kept his voice carefully neutral. He didn't want to be one more in a line of assholes making Boxman do stuff he wasn't up for.

"No, I want-" Boxman pulled him even closer, his talons digging into his shoulder. "We fucked a handful of times and I never even got hard. Not once." His robotic eye seemed to burn into Laserblast's own. "He just took what he wanted and left. He doesn't _deserve_ to see."

That rage in Boxman's eyes… so Cob damn beautiful. Then the words sank in and Laserblast scowled. "Really? This happened more than once?!" he hissed.

Boxman hid his face in his shoulder once more as he nodded. "I was… young. And I thought… I wanted him to like me. For _someone_ to like me."

"_I _like you," Laserblast said, firmly. "And I'm going to make you feel so damn good, Boxy. I promise."

"You always have so far," Boxman said. He could feel the villain start to smile.

"Good. I want to make you _scream._" With that, he set to work once more, rubbing at the head of Boxman's cock despite the mounting ache in his wrist.

"Hey! I _said_ what are you doing?!"

"Mind- oh Cob!" Boxman keened as his cockhead slid forward alongside his fingers, stretching his sheath further. "Mind your -oh!- your own business!"

Laserblast hid his smirk in the other side of Boxman's neck, maneuvering his fingers until he had one on either side of his cock. He felt a veritable gush of slick as Boxman clawed at his shoulders, his own cock surely leaving a wet spot in his boxers by now. He could probably ask Boxman to get him off too, but considering what a selfish asshole this wannabe villain was in bed, it seemed more appropriate to teach him a lesson about pleasing his partners.

Not that he'd be having any others, once Laserblast got ahold of him.

He hooked his fingers so the tips were pressed against the underside of the head and gently tugged, in an attempt to coax Boxy's cock out.

"Oh! Oh Cob! That feels- fuck!" Boxman rolled his hips forward, trying to hump his hand as his cockhead finally breached its sheath entirely.

"There we go…" Laserblast smiled, leaning in to kiss that open, gasping mouth.

Boxman thrust his tongue into his mouth greedily, moaning when Laser curled his own around it and sucked.

"Hey! HEY! Is this thing on? Hey!!"

Laserblast ignored their captor, thumbing the head of Boxman's cock as the shaft slowly emerged. He wrapped his fist around it, glad he could finally stroke it properly – not to mention, he didn't have to contort his wrist anymore, now that it was free from his pants. Laserblast still had to shield his body from view of any cameras, but it wasn't exactly a hardship to straddle Boxy's thigh – well, shin – and prop himself up on one elbow as he lazily jacked him off. He could even rub his cloth-covered cock against the leg conveniently beneath him and suck yet another bruise into Boxy's neck at the same time.

Boxman seemed lost in the sensation, not even reacting to the shouting over the intercoms, just rolling his hips in time with every pump of Laser's fist over his engorged cock. Laserblast sped up the pace as Boxy gasped and cursed.

"Gonna come for me?" he asked, making sure his words were just loud enough to be picked up by whatever mic Chimerical Man had in there with them. "Come on, Boxy. Do it. Come all over my fist."

"F-fuck- oh fuck- LASER-MMPH!" Laserblast shut him up with a kiss, realizing belatedly that it was probably for the best that Chimerical Man didn't know who he was.

He stroked Boxman through it until his cock retreated from his grip and back into its sheath.

Cob, it was always so hot, watching Boxy lose it like that. He wished he could've _really_ heard him scream but he wasn't that reckless.

Not when Boxman was at risk too.

Once he made sure Boxman was covered at least by his underwear, he leaned back to better catch the light – and hopefully their captor's attention.

"Huh?" Boxman blinked sleepily up at him.

"Watch me, Boxy." He waited until those mismatched eyes were on him before lifting his come-covered fingers to his mouth, licking them clean one by one.

There was a loud clatter over the intercom, followed by silence.

"Huh. I think he stopped listening now." A grin slowly spread over Boxman's face. "But, just in case, do you want me to-"

"Cob yes, but. Later." Boxman pouted.

"W- why not?"

"Because I just realized I don't want POINT to rescue us." After all, POINT would probably stop him from what he was planning…

"Me either, but if you think I'm letting you hit that button…"

Laserblast impulsively pressed a kiss to Boxman's cheek. "I won't. And you won't either. There's got to be something we can do." He patted himself down and grimaced. No phone, no wallet, no keys… even his Cob dang belt was gone!

"I don't suppose he left you with anything?"

"No. He even took my suspenders, the weirdo…"

Damn. He rubbed at his head, wincing when he encountered the bump. At least it helped him get his mind off of his dick.

"Shit, I can't believe it, but my fucking powers would have been pretty useful right about now…"

"I thought lasers were always useful," Boxman said, squinting up at the ceiling.

"No, my real power – the one I was born with. I can – I _could_ drain energy. Short out the electronic lock on the cell, then try and take down whatever beast is lurking out there." He looked at his hands, then clenched them into fists. "I lost my powers, though, over a month ago now."

"Is that why you give off glorb radiation, even though it isn't actively influencing you?" Boxman scratched his chin in thought.

"I- Probably?" Cob, why didn't he _think_ of talking to Boxman about glorbs?

_Focus, Laserblast. _

He pulled his shirt off, pausing when he heard Boxman hiss.

"What?"

"I, uh… Kind of scratched you up a bit. Guess I got, heh, a little carried away."

"Boxy? You can mark me up. _Anytime._" He winked. Boxman flushed bright red.

While Boxman was distracted, he rolled up his shirt like he planned to towel-whip someone with it and flicked it between the bars. Almost instantly, a hairless, feline head on a long, snakelike neck struck out, its fangs hooking on his shirt and tearing a whole chunk of fabric off.

"Holy shit on Cob's cornfield," Laserblast swore.

His shirt unfurled in his hands – now, essentially, a crop top.

"I guess we're waiting for POINT to rescue us after all," Laserblast said.

"Really? You're giving up that easily?"

"What else can I do?" Laserblast snapped. "I have no tools, no powers-"

"Powers? Ha! Who needs powers?" Boxman sneered. "When it comes right down to it, having powers only gets you one thing – the fear that something will take them from you."

Laserblast boggled at him. Come to think of it, what was Boxman's power? Other than being avian-human, which was purely hereditary of course.

"We need to take out that thing before we bust out of here, right? You're the biology expert. So pull yourself together and start using that big, beautiful brain of yours!" Boxman wheezed for breath after he finished, then cleared his throat.

"As far as inspirational speeches go, that wasn't half bad."

"Really?" Boxman tapped his fingers together.

Laserblast nodded before looking out through the bars of the cell. A second head joined the first, both sets of eyes gleaming like a cat's.

That… gave him an idea.

"Boxy… does that metal plate of yours come off?"

Boxman swallowed. "Well… yes. I can remove it. It's… not pretty though."

"Does it hurt?" He couldn't quite keep the concern from his voice.

"No, it's just," Boxman tapped his fingers together. "Vulnerable. It, ah… it's from an old injury. Too damaged to heal properly."

"I have an idea, but… it would involve using your metal plate. If you'd rather wait for POINT…" _I could track this guy down with POINT's intel on my own time, anyway._

"No, you're right." Boxman clenched his fists. "I refuse to be rescued by _heroes_. Let's do this!"

The less said about the area beneath Boxman's skull plate, the better. Suffice to say, he saw far more of Boxman's skull and brain than seemed safe – or even survivable. As terrifying as the wound was, Laserblast only found himself admiring Boxman even more. He couldn't imagine coming back from an injury of that magnitude, but here Boxman was, not just living but _thriving_.

Laserblast pressed a kiss to Boxman's cheek. "Thank you. I'll try to be quick."

It took a couple minutes to get the angle right – the light had to hit the curved edge _just so_ to pass through the red eye of the plate in a single, focused point. Once he found it, the challenge became how to move the spot of red light without it vanishing.

"Laser… what are you doing?"

"Well I was thinking… remember when I played with Mikayla?"

Boxman stared at him with his one eye before his face spread in a terrifying grin. "Oh, I think I follow now…"

"Let's see if the hydra does."

He angled the metal plate until the glowing red dot traveled outside their cell. As predicted, the hydra slammed into the concrete ground face first, hard enough to leave a crater. With one head hanging limp and unconscious, the second head chittered, staring at the red dot as well. Laserblast led it further from their cell, until the entire creature came into view.

"Only three heads, and one's already down," Boxman said gleefully.

"Watch this."

He jiggled the metal plate a bit, just enough to make the light dance around. The two remaining heads watched it intently.

"Get to the back of the cell, Boxy, I'm going to try something risky."

"Laser…"

"I've got this, come on."

He heard indistinct grumbling as Boxman stumbled away to the far end of the cell.

"Alright… come and get it," he muttered, guiding the red dot back into their cell. With a snarl, the hydra pounced, each head aiming for a gap between the bars. The bar between them was knocked down, and the bars on either side were dented out.

And, of course, one head was resting on the button.

SMASH.

_Two heads down, one to go…_

"What is all that racket?!"

Chimerical Man was more impressive in person than he had been over the speakers. Muscular, with a leonine face and a thick mane to match, he could see why Boxman might have been attracted to him. The cloven hooves and scorpion tail only served to make him look more interesting.

Laserblast hated him immediately.

The last hydra head stirred from its daze. Laserblast smiled.

"What have you done to my creature?!" Chimerical Man snarled, his tail upright and poised to sting.

Laserblast shifted the metal plate in his grip until the red light was on their captor's face.

"What, are you trying to blind me with-"

The hydra struck, unhinging it's jaw and swallowing him down to his waist. Laserblast watched with morbid fascination as those powerful throat muscles worked to swallow him down. The scorpion tail was still free, but flailing ineffectually in the air.

"Come on, Boxy! Let's get out of here!" With the final head distracted, they clambered over its fallen body to freedom.

"Here's your skull plate back," Laserblast said, kneeling in front of Boxman once they were a safe distance away. "Do you need any help?"

"N-no, I've got it." It took only a few moments for it to click into place. Both men breathed a sigh of relief.

"Should we… help him?" Boxman asked, looking over Laser's shoulder.

Laserblast looked back. The hydra had swallowed Chimerical Man down past his knees.

"He'll be fine," Laserblast said smoothly. "After all, what villain wouldn't install a failsafe in case his creations turned on him?"

"Uh… This is a living creature. It doesn't work like that, Laser."

Laserblast smiled, watching as the tail stilled.

"Mm, what a shame. Too late now."

When he looked back, Boxman was watching him with something like awe.

"Let's see what we can find in his evil lab, shall we?" Laserblast suggested, standing and holding out a hand to Lord Boxman.

Boxman blushed. "I'd love to."

Chimerical Man, though a poor planner, was – or rather had been – an excellent scientist. There were all sorts of interesting potions and chemicals. Laserblast pocketed a few, along with his phone and wallet.

"I saw that," Boxman said with a grin as he fastened his suspenders.

"Eh, he won't be needing it anymore, right?" He grinned. "Really, if you think about it, I'm just helping with the cleanup."

Boxman cackled, whipping out his lab coat in preparation to put it back on.

The building shook.

"Wha- What was that?" Boxman said, freezing.

"Shit. I think that's-"

The wall burst open in an explosion of brick and insulation.

"-POINT," Laserblast finished grimly.

"Laserblast!" Sparks cried. She launched herself at him to tackle him in a hug. He grimaced when her hands came into contact with the scratches on his back. She pulled back, eyes narrowed in a way that boded ill.

"Laserblast! We were so dang worried about you!" Foxtail said, smacking him on the same (injured) shoulder. He saw Boxman wince in sympathy out of the corner of his eye.

Unfortunately, Foxtail saw it too.

"Wait! Laser, get back!" She cried, accidentally flinging him into a wall. "That's Lord Boxman!"

Laserblast staggered to his feet. He was sure he felt something crunch when he hit the wall, but he didn't feel like anything was broken.

"Guys, leave him be. He helped me get out! Another villain kidnapped us… he…" Cob, why was it so hard to breathe? Purple smoke clouded his vision. He felt something wet against his hip.

_The vials I stole_, he realized. _They broke! _

_Shit…_

That was the last thing he thought for a while.

"Shh, he's coming around!" someone hissed.

Doctor Greyman? Laserblast opened his eyes. He was in some sort of hospital bed – probably the med bay at HQ – surrounded by his team mates.

"What… what happened?" he asked groggily.

"W-well… We're not- not too sure," El-Bow stuttered, clutching Sparks's hand.

"Now Laserblast," Foxtail said, "I just want you to know, we ain't never gonna treat you differently on account of, you know… any _changes_ you might be going through…"

"Shh!" Greyman hissed. "What she means to say is, everything's going to be fine." His wide, strained smile was unconvincing.

"Buh-buh…!"

He followed Rippy Roo's gaze to his wrist where a strange purple splotch appeared.

"Oh my Cob," he whispered, feeling fear like ice in his gut.

"N-Not to worry!" Sparks rushed to assure him. "See?" She whipped out a tube of concealer, quickly and expertly covering it up.

It occurred to Laserblast that it matched _his_ skin tone, not hers.

"How long have I been out?" he asked. Dread was like a weight on his chest.

"Buh buh."

"An entire day?!" _Don't panic… stay calm…_ "What about Box-"

"_Boxman_ got away. Probably." Foxtail shrugged. "We left him there. You were our priority."

_Left_ him? In another villain's lair, probably full of traps and monsters? Cob, something else to worry about, just what he needed.

"I- I need a minute. Just to let it sink in."

"I don't- I don't- I don't think, um, think that's a-"

"I'll stay," Sparks said. "You go on ahead. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything… rash."

Apparently they had him on suicide watch. Wonderful…

The moment El-Bow closed the door behind him, Sparks sat on the edge of his bed.

"Laser, we need to talk."

Cob, what now?

"I saw those scratch marks and I covered for you, but this is _wrong_."

"What-?"

"The scratches on your back? The hickeys all over Boxman?" She looked at him sadly. "I guess I should've known you still had feelings for him, but _cheating_ on your _partner?_ I thought you were better than that!" She sounded so disappointed, which would have been more effective if his sluggish brain could figure out what in Corn's name she was talking about.

Belatedly, he remembered that she knew he was seeing someone – hell, the whole team probably did at this point – but not _who. _He kept his face smooth as he tried to weigh his options. Look penitent and apologize? Claim he'd broken up with his 'partner' and went to Boxman for a rebound?

"Oh my Cob," she whispered. "You aren't cheating on your partner, are you." It wasn't a question. "Boxman _is _your boyfriend!"

"Shh! Keep it down, Sssssparks!" he hissed – worryingly literally. He put his fingers to his mouth, feeling abnormally sharp teeth and… was his tongue _forked?!_

"That's why you've been sneaking off so much lately," Sparks whispered urgently. "Why you haven't told anyone who you've been seeing. Cob, that's probably why you were captured at the same time, sneaking off to _fraternize!_"

Laserblast's ears were ringing. He couldn't breathe. Cob, what was happening to his body?!

"You can't see him anymore," Sparks said, determined. "I won't let you! I'll make sure- Laser? Lase-"

The world went black.

The next two months were the worst of his life.

Sparks confiscated his cell, threatening to tell Foxtail about him and Boxman if he tried to take it back. She didn't look at him the same way anymore. Like he was a tragic character in one of El-Bow's telenovelas.

Doctor Greyman took samples of venom from his new fangs. He felt ridiculous during the whole procedure. Apparently it wasn't even deadly, just a mild paralytic with some pain killing properties. He felt nothing more than a vague sort of disappointment.

The entire team carried tubes of concealer with them now. Any time he sprouted a new patch of purple skin, they pounced on him to cover it up.

Greyman built a lab of his own, promising Laserblast that he'd fix him. On the day the amount of purple finally outweighed the beige, Greyman cried.

When he looked at himself in the mirror after he showered, he could see entire swathes of skin stained purple.

Laserblast just felt numb.

Foxtail did surprise inspections of his room, making sure he didn't try to smuggle in any weapons. They didn't let him set foot outside of HQ without supervision. Eventually, he stopped going out at all, save for battle.

His appetite decreased, to the point where even hard candy was losing appeal. He was still strong, but he lost muscle mass.

He didn't care as much as he thought he would.

He still touched himself, late at night. He thought about sharp-toothed smiles and soft feathers, wicked claws and gentle hands. He'd never been the sort of man who cried during sex before, but… well, he was a lot of things now that he'd never been before.

He discovered a second penis afterwards and laughed until the tears flowed once more and every breath hitched on sobs.

On day 60 of his confinement, he was allowed access back to his lab. Part of him had hoped it would mark a return to normalcy, but he wasn't surprised when he found it stripped. Stripped of chemicals and glorbs and Bunsen burners and glass… All that remained were his papers and Fink's cage.

"Buh… buh buh," Rippy hung her head.

"It's fine," he said dully. "I wasn't sure what else I expected."

Rippy put a gloved paw on his arm for a moment, before leaving him.

He approached Fink's cage. She'd gotten much bigger since he last saw her, doubling in size. Bigger than both palms side by side, he'd guess. She was curled up underneath one of her little hides that she was much too large for, now.

"Heya, Fink," he whispered. "Boss is home. Missed you, girl." To his faint surprise, she perked up immediately, knocking over the little plastic castle on her flank and scampering to the bars of the cage.

He poked his fingers through the bars, chuckling at her disgusted look. She licked and nibbled at his fingers, grooming away the concealer.

"Yeah, I'm a bit different now. Ssssorrey."

Her tail lashed, but she didn't let up. Laserblast chuckled humorlessly. "Can't believe my lab rat is the first person in this Cob forsaken place who doesn't want me to hide who I am…" He tugged his fingers free from the cage and set about washing his hands. There was something satisfying about watching the makeup he so resented be washed down the drain. He dried his hands and stuck his fingers through the bars of the cage for Fink's approval. She sniffed cautiously, then rubbed up against the purple digits, bruxing happily.

"Thanks, Fink. Glad your boss meets with your approval."

"Boff!" Fink chirped.

What.

"Boff," she said again, rubbing against his fingers. "Boffs."

"Bosssss," he whispered, doing his best to enunciate.

"Boss!" She looked up at him, like a child seeking approval.

Oh Cob, she practically _was_ a child.

Had he… had he created sentience in her?

He opened her cage, scooping her up gently.

"Fink?" he whispered.

"Boss!" She rubbed against his thumb.

"Oh my Cob." He cradled her close to his face, nuzzling her soft fur. She smelled like her bedding and a bit like the energy drink she'd been weaned off of. "I guess I'm a father now," he whispered, remembering a robotic hand holding his, metallic fingers tugging at his pant leg. He missed them so hard that it hurt.

"You can be my family," Laserblast murmured, stroking her carefully and ignoring the patches of fur damp with his tears. "I mean, what better place to grow up, right? Surrounded by heroes and luxury… It's great. You'll be-" his voice cracked- "You'll be so happy, right? That's what everyone wants."

"Boss?" she nudged against his fingers.

"I can't-" he whispered, tears flowing in earnest now. "Cob, I can't, Fink… It's too much. All the time, spending every waking moment trying to be what everyone else wants. I can't- I _won't_ do that to you."

He swallowed and tucked her inside his coat.

"We're getting out of here."

Lord Boxman had been having a pretty bad day. Well, more like a pretty bad couple of months. Ever since Laserblast had collapsed in a cloud of purple smoke, his life hadn't known peace.

He'd spent hours in that damn lab, looking for answers about what he took, hoping desperately for some sign that he'd be okay. Cob damn it, he was a robotics guy, not a bioengineering villain! He didn't know what half of that crap meant.

He'd texted Laserblast again and again.

_'Are you okay?'_

_'What happened?'_

_'Tell me as soon as you get this'_

_'Laserblast?'_

In the early hours of the morning, he'd finally gotten a response.

_'This is Silverspark. Don't call him again.'_

He'd ignored her, of course. Texted even more frequently, until the messages stopped going through altogether. He'd tried breaking in after that, but POINT must have discovered his wormhole trick because he kept landing on the roof instead of inside. It wouldn't have been so much of a problem, if it weren't for the missile defense system.

He'd tried to put Laserblast out of his mind. He spent more time with the bots. He kept up to date with his paperwork.

He must have come up with a thousand schemes over the past two months, but it just… wasn't the same. He couldn't seem to find the drive to go through with any of them.

He sat on the roof of the factory, watching the sunset paint the sky in red and purple.

"Hey, Boxy."

He whirled around, hope roaring in his chest like a living thing.

The figure seemed too slim, and with the long, hooded cloak, he couldn't make out his features.

"Laser?" his voice sounded pathetically hopeful.

"Yeah."

Boxman took a step forward, then froze when a hand stopped him. The fingerless gloves were the same dark grey ones he was familiar with, but the fingers sticking out of them were a pale purple.

"Before you-" Laserblast's voice shook. "Before you get too excited I- I thought you should know…" The figure unfastened the cloak and tossed it aside.

Laserblast's hair was longer – that was the first thing he noticed. And he looked much too thin. Boxman clearly needed to feed him up a little.

The purple was new, too.

"I… appear to have gained sssome… sssnakelike features," Laserblast cautioned, face twisted in shame.

Boxman waited a moment more, just in case he had something else he wanted to say, before throwing himself at Laserblast.

"You're okay!" He wrapped his arms around the taller man, something inside him relaxing for the first time since he woke up in his ex's lab. "Cob, I was so worried, I-"

"You don't- no comments on my-?"

"Oh, like I care about any of that stuff." Boxman nuzzled against his much thinner chest. "You don't think I was ever in it for your body, do you?"

"You loved my body, admit it. I was fucking hot."

"You're still hot, and you know it." He felt more than heard Laserblast chuckle.

Laserblast stepped back, only to sit down next to him. Boxman joined him, sitting on the roof, their feet dangling down as the sun continued to sink past the horizon.

"I don't want to be a hero," Laserblast said. "I don't know _what_ I want to be, but definitely not that."

Boxman snuggled against his side, delighted at how easily they fit together. He saw that familiar crooked grin bloom across Laser's face. The teeth were sharper, and his face much more purple, but it was still him.

"You could always try your hand at villainy," Boxman said. "I bet you'd be good at it. If you wanted of course."

"I… I think I'd like that," Laserblast said. "But I'm not sure I could fight POINT. They were my friends once, even if…" he trailed off, something haunted, even hunted about his expression.

"Psh, I can handle POINT. You could be my getaway driver!"

"You've never used a getaway driver, Boxy." There was a hint of laughter in Laser's voice and it felt like sunlight in his chest.

"Well obviously! I've never _had_ one before, how _could_ I have?"

"I think my lab rat's gained sentience. I'm not giving her up."

"Eh, seven kids, eight, what's the difference?"

Laserblast's arm wrapped around him. "I'm still changing," he whispered. "It's slower now, but… I don't know what I'll be when it's over."

"You've just described aging. No big deal."

"I don't want to be Laserblast anymore. I'm not him. Maybe I never was." The words came out softly, like a secret.

"Well," Boxman said, pondering it over. "You could go back to your civvie name?"

"No," the man next to him said. "I'm not him, either."

"Hmmm… any ideas then?"

The purple man smiled, something dark and dangerous and stunningly beautiful. "I'm thinking… _Venomous._"

"No way!" Boxman scoffed. "Much too simple! You need something with power! Authority!"

"What, like _Lord_ Venomous?" Boxman could see him trying not to laugh.

"If I were to make you take my name, it wouldn't be the Lord part," he retorted.

The taller man shook with silent laughter. "Alright, _Lord_ Boxman, what do you suggest?"

Damn, he hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Uh… Master Venomous? Venomous Max? Limited Edition Cowboy Venomous?"

Venomous cackled. "How about 'no'."

Boxman grinned, far too pleased with himself.

Venomous stopped laughing, a dark, secretive smile spreading across his face.

"What about… Professor Venomous," he said, forked tongue flicking out with each carefully pronounced S.

Boxman blushed. Laserblast had been very, very talented with his tongue. He was almost a little worried how much devastating that skill would be now that it was so much longer…

"Sounds good, PV," Boxman said.

"PV? Really? I just came up with a new name and you're already shortening it?" He looked half amused, half exasperated.

"I push boundaries. You love it."

"No, Boxy," Professor Venomous said, rolling his eyes. "I love _you_."

He froze, face going blank in a way that was so much like Laserblast that it hurt.

"That's okay, PV," Boxman said. He tugged on his tank top, pulling him into a kiss. "I love you too."


End file.
